Ink jet printers are low cost printing solutions which are popular with many commercial and home environments. As a popular printing and copying solution, ink jet printers often utilize ink cartridges or containers which are used to store ink to be used by the printer or copier to print images or text.
Due to the contaminating nature of ink as well as its harmful chemical properties, used ink cartridges or containers have become a significant environmental concern. The toxic nature of the chemicals used to manufacture ink has made these containers a potential environmental hazard when disposed in a landfill as the ink can escape into the ground and run into waterways or ground water. In addition, the chemical composition of ink also contaminates the materials used in the manufacturing of these cartridges and containers and in turn makes the recycling process of these cartridges and containers very expensive and difficult.